Washing-machine.



A. J. GRUVER.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1915.

1,231 1,486 Patented Jan. 9,1917.

25 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

1 t E 7 04404401, I A/vaJGr-ov Q t affovnu a A. J. GROVEFL WASHINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 5. 1915.

w-itwmoe ALVA J. GROVER, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1915. Serial No. 19,389.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALVA J. GRovnR, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Council Bluffs, in the county ofPottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to washing machines of the class having verticallyreciprocating agitating means operating within a receptacle containingthe articles to be washed.

It is the object of my invention to provide in a washing machine avertically reciprocating pounder, yielding actuating means for saidpounder whereby the same may be caused to press equally upon varyingamounts of material, means for moving the pounder horizontally towardand away from the center of an associated tub, and means connected withthe actuating means for causing a rotary movement of the tub, wherebythe pounder will be operated successively in the various parts of thetub.

A structure embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 isa side view ofthe machine,

parts being broken away, Fig.2 is ahorizontal sectional view on theplane ofthe line waz of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail. vertical sectionalview of the drive mechanism on the line y z of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is adetail end elevation of the drive'mechanism, and Fig.

5 is a plan view of the machine.

In the structure shown I provide a suitable frame having a base-portion1 which is held at a suitable height by legs 2 (shown broken ofl in thedrawings). At one end of the machine there is an elevated table 3carried by a supporting-frame 4 which connects it with thebase-portion 1. On top of the table 3 is secured the fixed frame 5 ofthe drive mechanism, said frame 5 having bearings formed therein for ahorizontal main-shaft 6 and a vertical. shaft 7. On the inner end of themain-shaft is abevel pinion 8 which meshes with a bevel-gear 9 securedon the shaft 7 so that said shaft may be driven by rotation of themain-shaft 6. On the outer end of the main-shaft 6 is a suitable pulleyor fly-wheel 10 which has a handle 11 so that it may be turned by hand.The lower part of the vertical shaft 7 extends down through the table 3and the 'lower end of the shaft is journaled in a suitable bearingcarried on one ofthe cross pieces of the base 1. On one end of the base1 a tub 12 is revolublysupported by means of rollers 13 mounted on thecrosspieces of the base, as shown. On the central portion of the bottomof the tub there is secured a toothed wheel 14 of which the hub- IPatented Jan. 9,1917- portion extends into a bearing on the base,

so as to keep the tub centered on a fixed vertical axis. 'On thehub-portion of the wheel 14 is pivoted a pawl-arm 15, and to the end ofsaid armis pivotally connected the end of a rod. 16. The other end ofsaid rod forms an eccentric-strap which fits upon a small eccentric 17which is secured to the shaft 7 just above the bearing for the lower endof said shaft. A pawl 18 is pivoted on the outer end of the arm 15 andnormally engages the peripheral part of the wheel 14, as shown in Fig.2. v A lever 18 is pivotally connected with the pawl by means of a link20, and may beused to move the pawl out to a position at which it willnot engage the wheel. Rotation of the vertical shaft 7 imparts areciprocating movement to the connecting-rod 16, and to the pawl-armand:

pawl, so that when the pawl is in position to engage the wheel 14, thelatter is actuated thereby and an intermittent rotative movement isimparted to the tub.

A swing-frame 21 is provided, having at one end thereof portions whichare pivotally connected with the shaft 7 above the upper and lowerbearings for said shaft in the fixed frame 5. In the swing-frame areformed bearings for a horizontal crank-shaft 22. A bevel gear 23 issecured on the end of the shaft 22 adjacent to the shaft 7 and mesheswith a similar gear. 24 on said shaft 7 so that the crank-shaft isdriven from the,

vertical shaft. v j

At the free end of the swing-frame 21 there are upper and lowerprojecting arms 25 and 26 through which the pounder-rod 27 is verticallyslidable. On the-lower end of the pounder-rod within the tub 12 is a Vhollow conical pounder 28, the same being of the type commonly known asa vacuum washer. On the upper end of the rod 27 a hand-wheel 29 isscrewed thereon, and said hand-wheel has hooks 30 engaging an annu-' larlip on a collar 31 which is slidably disposed on the rod below thewheel. To said collar isconnected one end of a coil spring 32 which isdisposed around the rod and of which the lower end is connected with the.causes the frame 21: to swing between the 'extremepositions shown byfull and dotted lines in Fig. 5, or so thatxthe pounder isstud-collar-33. Said stud-collar is also'slidably disposed on the rod27, and a connecting-rod 34 extends from the collar to a crank 35 on theend of the crank-shaft 22, so' that rotation of said shaft imparts avertically reciprocating movement to the collar. Ordinarily the entirevertical movement of the stud 'collar is imparted to the pounder-rod,but if there bean excessive resistance to the downward movement of thepounder, such as would be caused by an unusual amount of material in thetub, the movement ofthe stud-collar, or a part-of such movement, will beexpended in stretching the spring 32. The spring 32 is so proportionedthat it may be elongated sufficiently to take up almost the entiremovement of the stud-collar, and it is thus impossible to causean-excessive stress upon the driving mechanism should there be anunusual amount of clothing placed in the tub, or if the materials beingwashedtherein should become bunched beneath .the pounder. The tension ofthe spring 32=may be varied by screwing the hand-wheel 29 upor down onthe rod, and the device is thus adjusted so as to operate mosteffectively upon varying amounts of material in the tub.

-On the lower side of the swing-frame there. is revolubly mountedacrank-wheel 36 which has a series of teeth on the upper side of the rimthereof, as shown. On the lower side of said wheel there isaneccentrically-disposed crank-pin 37 which fits slidably in a rectilinearchannel formed in aplate 38 which is secured to the table 3 beneath theswing-frame, the channel in the: plate extending radially to thevertical shaft 7. The wheel 36 has an intermittent rotative movementimparted thereto by means of an eccentric 39 carried on the crankshaftv22. A strap 40, disposed around the eccentric, is pivotally connectedwith the horizontal arm ofabell-crank4l which is 'fulcrumedona lug 42onthe swing-frame. The vertical arm of the bellcrank carries a pawl 43adapted to engage the teeth on the wheel, so that the reciprocatingmovements imparted to the pawl by the-eccentric and bell-crankintermittently actuate the wheel. As the wheel 36 is revolved, thecrank-pin 37, which remains constantly in the channel in the plate .38,

moved horizontally from positions near the sides of the tub to positionsnear thecenter thereof.

. The 'describedswinging movementof the frame 21, combined with therotary movementof the tub and. the vertical movements 7 of. the.pounder, causes the pounder to work successively all .parts 7 .of (thetub, and

materialsinanypart of thetub will,-.thus,

thecpounder. Should it be desired to stop the swinging movement of theframe 21,

the pawl 43 may be lifted out of operative relation to the crank-wheel36 by means of a rod 44 which extends to the upper part of 'the'frameand is connected witha small cam-lever 45. Said lever is formed so thatby turning the same up to a vertical position the rod 44 is raised and.the pawl lifted out of contact with the teeth-on the crankwheel.

F-rom the foregoing, the structure and operation of the machine will beclearly ap parent, and it will appear also that various changes.andmodifi'cations of the mechanism may be made without departing fromthe spirit ofmy invention. 7

Now, having described my invention, what I claim anddesire to secure byLetters Patent is:

'1. In a washing machine, vertically reciprocating agitating means, atub associated therewithandv rotatable on'a vertical axis, a swing-framecarrying the agitating means and movablesin a horizontal plane to carry.theagitating means in a path approximately radial to the axis ofthetub, and connected driving .mechanism for reciprocating the agitatingmeans, rotating the tubgand swingingthe frame.

2. In a washingmachine,vertically reciprocatable agitating means, apivoted horizontally swingable frame'carrying. said agitating means, andconnected zdriving means for reciprocating the agitating means and forswinging said frame. :in .alternating directionszabout the pivotalaxisthereof.

3. In a washing .machine, a fixed frame, a vertical: shaft journaledtherein, a movable framepivoted on-said shaft, ar-horizontal shaftjournaled insaid movable frame and extending radially. to thevverticalrshaft, gearing operatively connecting said horizontalandvertical shafts, lalrod slidable vertically in the movable frame,smeans connecting said -rod and thehorizontal shaft for reciprocatingthe: rod,: and means actuatedxby the horizontal: shaft for swinging themovable frame to. reciprocate the same about the axis ofthe-verticalshaft.

1 4.. Inra washing machine, a tubv rotatable on a vertical axis vagitating meansdisposed withinthe tub, aamovable frame carrying saidagitating means,xsaid v frame being, pivoted on a vertical-axisand-being swingable thereon to move. the agitatingameans horizontallytowardand away from the axis of the tub, and connecteddriving. means foractuating the: agitating means, rotating the tub, and swinging themovable frame alternately toward and; away from the tubsaxis.

5. In -a washingmachine,#a-fixed. frame,

' a movableframerpivotedon the'fixed frame so as to be swingablehorizontally about a vertical axis, a horizontal crank-shaft journaledin said movable frame, means for rotating said shaft, a rod slidablevertically in the movable frame, means connecting said rod andcrank-shaft whereby the rod may be reciprocated vertically by rotationof said shaft, a crank-wheel mounted on the movable frame so as to berevoluble on a vertical axis, means connected with the crank-shaft forrotating said wheel, a plate connected with the fixed frame andextending adjacent to the crank-wheel, and a pin on the crank-wheeldisposed eccentrically thereto and extending into a rectilinear 15subscribed my name in the presence'of two 20 witnesses. 4

ALVA J. GROVER.

Witnesses:

D. O. BARNELL, F. W. CARMICHAEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

